


Daylight is Fading, And I'm Tired of Waiting

by tiniestmite



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [4]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Hurt TK Strand, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, M/M, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27419839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestmite/pseuds/tiniestmite
Summary: 5 times TK is supposed to be using his crutches and Carlos is there to give him a hard time about it, +1 time Carlos isn't there.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984406
Comments: 10
Kudos: 140
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo





	Daylight is Fading, And I'm Tired of Waiting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Annide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annide/gifts).



> Written for the “Crutches” square on my bthb card (open for requests - see the board [here](https://officerrxyes.tumblr.com/) :) 
> 
> Requested by AC, who said "For Bad Things Happen Bingo, how about Crutches, but like one of them is supposed to be using them and keeps not doing that and it drives the other crazy? 💜"
> 
> Title from "Abigail" by Ryan Montbleau

(1)

Waking up next to Carlos always gave TK butterflies. He smiles at the peaceful look on Carlos’ face, still asleep with a small pool of drool forming at the corner of his mouth.

His thoughts are interrupted by the dull ache settling in his right ankle. 

_ Of course. _

He had almost completely forgotten the events of the night before. On a call yesterday he had lost his balance on the ladder and came down on his ankle wrong, causing an immediate flash of pain. Though he knew right away it was not broken, having sprained his ankle quite a few times in the past, his father still made Michelle take him to the hospital. Just to be safe.

Carlos showed up not long after he arrived. They were supposed to spend the night together as Carlos had the day off. TK had texted letting him know what was going on and that he had no obligation to come. But of course Carlos came anyway.

After a few hours and an x-ray just to confirm there was nothing more serious, he was sent home with a tight black brace and a pair of crutches, given strict orders to keep weight off of his ankle for a few weeks to avoid further damage. 

And now the next morning, he was met with this painful reminder.

Pushing the covers off gently so not to wake the sleeping man next to him, he swings both legs off the bed and plants his left foot on the ground before hesitantly doing the same with the right. Eyeing the crutches resting against the wall within reach, he decides against it. He’s just walking down the hall to get some pain meds after all. 

He winces as he stands up, overestimating how much weight he can manage to place on his ankle. Powering through, he limps out of the bedroom down the hall into the bathroom. 

He wastes no time popping two small Tylenol capsules in his mouth, before washing it down with a small cup of water and returns to the bedroom.

Limping back into the room he is met with Carlos sitting up in bed. Though he is still blinking away the sleepiness, if the stern look on his face is any indication, Carlos clearly has something on his mind.

“What?” TK asks, shifting his weight to lean against the doorframe.

“Come on, TK. You know you need to be using your crutches.”

TK groans as he pushes himself off the doorframe and limps into the room before plopping on the bed. “I just walked down the hall, Carlos.”

“Yes, but the doctor said you need to keep weight off your ankle.”

“Fine,” TK moans.

Carlos just smiles and places a soft kiss on TK’s lips.

* * *

(2)

TK really did try to follow his doctor’s (and Carlos’) instructions. He knew they were right, and he should be using his crutches if he wanted any hope of returning to work within the next few weeks.

That’s the thought that pushed him through the entire next day. Ignoring the dull ache pulsing through his ankle and the soreness that was developing in his armpits from the crutches.

“You could just sit and rest like the doctor said if you didn’t want to be so sore,” Carlos bites back after TK complains for what has to be the tenth time of the day. 

“I am resting right now, watching this movie with you. But I’m still allowed to complain about being sore because  _ somebody _ insists I use those annoying things,” he gestures to the crutches lying haphazardly next to the couch. 

They were currently in the middle of movie night, watching their favorite Disney movie,  _ Toy Story _ . Though TK is finding it increasingly hard to concentrate when he knows that they were actually supposed to be going out tonight. He tried to insist to Carlos that he was feeling up to going out and doing whatever Carlos had planned, though Carlos would not hear it. So here they were; munching on microwave popcorn with his ankle resting comfortably on a few pillows and viewing a Disney movie they had watched one too many times. 

Carlos sighs. “Okay well if you’re going to keep talking through the movie, you might as well pause it so I can use the bathroom.”

TK obliges, leaning over to press pause as Carlos exits the room and walks down the hall.

Now left to wait for his boyfriend’s return, he reaches over to the bowl of popcorn which he finds to be nearly empty. Having only poured in half of the bag, the thought crosses his mind; Would it really be that bad if he got up for a few seconds to refill the bowl?

He could probably get back before Carlos. Not to mention, even if he tried to use his crutches to get to the kitchen, there’s no way he could use them and carry the full bowl back. 

So he once again gets up, gingerly placing minimal weight on his ankle and limps his way over to the kitchen. 

Steadying himself against the counter to take some of his weight off his ankle, he focuses attention on pouring what’s left of the popcorn into the bowl. 

He doesn’t even notice when Carlos enters the room and clears his throat. 

“Are you forgetting something?” he asks, holding the crutches TK left in the living room.

TK rolls his eyes and takes the crutches from Carlos grasp, sliding them under his arms. “Well in my defense, I don’t know how I was supposed to refill the popcorn bowl while also using these things.”

“You weren’t. You are supposed to stay seated and ask me to do it.”

“I’ll try to remember that for next time.” TK winks at him.

Carlos just shakes his head, grabbing the popcorn bowl and following TK as he hobbles back over to the couch. 

* * *

(3)

Over the next few days, his ankle slowly starts to feel better. But much to his annoyance, Carlos still insists on watching him like a hawk to make sure he is using his crutches. 

So when his dad points out that he has been spending the majority of his time at Carlos’ house, despite the fact that he claimed he was going to split his time, and asked if he would come home for a few days, TK was somewhat relieved.

That is, until he realizes his dad watches him just as closely as Carlos did. In fact, he’s almost certain Carlos must have told his dad to keep an eye on him. And here he thought them getting along so well would be a good thing.

But when he finally gets a night to himself, he feels like he can finally breathe again. His dad is currently on a date with Zoe, which if he’s honest, he didn’t even realize was still going on. Nevertheless, he’s happy his dad is in a healthy relationship. And he’s even more happy to get some well-deserved alone time. 

He decides not to do anything too strenuous, not wanting to press his luck with how his ankle has been healing, slowly but surely. He opts for ordering through GrubHub from his favorite Chinese restaurant and binging season four of  _ The Office _ , which is by far the best season of the series. 

Just as he finishes his fifth episode of the night, the doorbell rings. Figuring it to be his dinner, he pauses the episode and gets up, ignoring the slight protest from his ankle and limps over toward the front of the house. 

As he opens the door, he expects to see some random delivery driver. Instead he is met with the beautiful brown eyes of his boyfriend.

“Hey,” TK smiles and greets him. “I didn’t know you were coming by.”

Carlos, however, does not return the smile. “Seriously, TK?”

He pauses for a second before realizing how much leaning against the door, clearly not using his crutches. And of course, Carlos took notice.

“Oh come on, Carlos. I was just answering the door.”

“TK, we can’t keep having this conversation.”

“I know, I have to use the crutches and keep weight off my ankle,” he mocks.

Carlos smiles. “Can I help you back over to the couch?”

“Do I have a choice?” he asks sheepishly, already knowing the answer. Rolling his eyes, he drapes his arm around Carlos’ broad shoulders and allows him to take on some of his weight. 

“So to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” TK asks as they get settled back on the couch.

“What? Can’t a guy surprise his boyfriend? I missed you.”

“Carlos it’s barely been a day,” his eyes narrow as the other man blushes and looks away. “My dad asked you to come over, didn’t he?”

Carlos opens his mouth to fire back only to quickly close it and nod.

TK can only shake his head. “Well, I hope you don’t expect me to share my Chinese food dinner because my Grubhub delivery should be here any minute.”

* * *

(4)

By the time TK relocates back to Carlos’ house, he starts to notice that his ankle is starting to feel better. So much so that, much to Carlos’ annoyance, he feels okay enough to put some weight on it while walking, as long as he still uses the crutches.

Carlos, to his credit, continues to watch him carefully to make sure he isn’t pushing himself too hard or walking unaided. 

But when Carlos goes to work one day leaving behind his phone, TK knows he needs to find a way to get it to him. He has not been cleared to drive, nor does it matter since he still does not have a car, and he knew that it would be impossible for him to walk there. 

Which is how he ended up sitting in the passenger seat of Marjan’s car, outside of the police station where his boyfriend worked. 

As he goes to open the door and step out, Marjan interrupts him, “Aren’t you supposed to be using crutches or something?”

The thought had crossed his mind when Marjan arrived to pick him up. But figuring it to be more trouble than what was necessary, he left them behind and opted to limp across the yard into the car. 

“My ankle is healing fine, I’m able to put some weight on it,” he replies. While not technically a lie, he knows that it’s not the correct answer.

Marjan just shrugs as TK exits the car and limps into the station. 

He quickly spots Carlos at his usual desk and smiles, slowly making his way across the busy bullpen. 

“Hey,” he catches Carlos attention away from his stack of paperwork and leans on his desk. “I brought your phone.”

Carlos smiles and glances up at TK. However, his smile quickly drops when he notices TK once again is not using his crutches.

“TK-”

“What? I thought you’d be happy to see me,” TK smirks cuts him off, knowing that Carlos is about to go on yet another rant about TK only prolonging his recovery by not using his crutches. 

“TK,” Carlos says, unphased. “Of course I am, but you really need to be using your crutches. In fact, you really didn’t even need you to come. I can spend the day without my phone, you know?”

TK’s face drops and his heart sinks. He knows he’s been pushing Carlos’ patience lately with the whole crutches thing. But it really did not hit him until now how fed up Carlos is getting with him.

He nods and stands back up. “Okay, I’ll let you get back to your work.”

Carlos grabs his hand, stopping him from walking away. “TK, I’m sorry. I really am happy to see you. And I appreciate you bringing my phone with you.”

TK gives a small smile.

“I love you,” Carlos adds.

“I love you too,” TK replies, placing a small kiss on Carlos’ hand before letting go and limping out of the station. 

* * *

(5)

Nearly a week later, his ankle was just about healed. In fact, his father agreed to let him come back to work on light duty until he could be sure TK was at no risk for further injury. Needless to say, TK was elated. 

And when Carlos suggested they have their make-up date that was canceled after TK was injured, his happiness only increased further.

That is, until Carlos added that he strongly suggested to TK that he bring his crutches just in case. Even though TK had found it increasingly easier to walk without aid, the place they were going to eat was downtown and they would likely have to park farther away.

But TK was persistent that he would be fine. After all, if he was going back to work in a few days, he would need to get used to being on his feet more.

So Carlos resigned, and the crutches were left at home.

It was fine at first. Though he was slow walking to the restaurant, Carlos was patient letting him set the pace and understanding that he needed to do this.

And their dinner was good. Great, actually. The reservation Carlos had made was at a restaurant they were both eager to try and it did not disappoint.

The issues only started to arise after dinner, on their walk back to where Carlos had parked. 

What started out as a dull ache as he exited the restaurant, hand-in-hand with Carlos, had now increased into a persistent pain that echoed in each step he took. 

He had pushed it too far, there was no question.

_ How much farther did they still have to walk? It didn’t seem this far walking to the restaurant. _

He could tell Carlos how much pain he was in. Knowing his boyfriend, he would tell TK to stay put and he would walk the rest of the way, bringing the car back around to pick him up. He probably wouldn’t even say an “I told you so.”   
  


But TK couldn’t give him that satisfaction. So he walked on, trying his best to block out the sharp pain that only seemed to get worse.

He tries to hide his agony from Carlos, but he can tell as they slow the pace even further, Carlos can tell something is up.

“Are you good?” Carlos finally asks.

“Yeah,” he grunts out, the pain in his voice slipping through.

“Nope, I don’t believe you. It’s your ankle, isn’t it?”

They stop walking and TK nods. No longer able to keep up the facade of being okay, he lets the tears he had been biting back start to form. 

Not only was he in pain, but he couldn’t even handle walking less than a mile up and down the street. Carlos had proven himself right, yet again. 

But instead of rubbing it in TK’s face, Carlos gives him a sympathetic look. “Do you want me to walk the rest of the way and get the car?”

“I mean, I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Well, there is another option…” Carlos trails off as TK furrows his brow. “You could get on my back.”   
  
“Carlos Reyes you would not give me a piggyback ride through downtown Austin.”

“I can and I will. If that’s what you want of course.”

TK smiles. It beats waiting here alone while Carlos went ahead without him. And it certainly was better than trying to walk the rest of the way. So he gives a small nod and lightly hops on Carlos’ back as he crouches down.

Rest comfortably against Carlos’ back, he nuzzles his chin against the other man’s neck.

“Thank you,” he whispers in Carlos’ ear. 

* * *

(+1)

The day before TK is set to return to work, he finds himself home alone again while Carlos is on shift. 

He knows how much Carlos has put up with him, having one-too many conversations about him using his crutches. But as his recovery time at home comes to an end, he desperately wants to find a way to show Carlos how much he appreciates his patience and care.

So he settles on baking him a cake, figuring that to be the best way to show someone how thankful you are. He can even write something like “ _ thank you for putting up with me _ ” on top.

Though Carlos is the better of the two when it comes to the kitchen, TK figures he will still appreciate the gesture.

He begins to gather all the ingredients needed, a few eggs and a stick of butter from the fridge, vanilla extract, baking powder, before he runs into a problem. The flour, arguably the most important ingredient, is perched on the very top shelf of the highest cabinet. 

He may not be short, but he certainly is not tall enough to reach up that high without some assistance.

He sighs, running through all the possible scenarios of how this could play out. Obviously, he can’t give up. He could wait for Carlos to come home though, but that would ruin the surprise. 

That leaves climbing up on the counter, which logically he knows is a bad idea. In fact, with how much stress he’s placed on his ankle already by walking about the kitchen, he figures he’s facing another night of icing his ankle down. Not the best way to spend the night before returning to work.

Before he can change his mind, he finds himself pushing himself up onto the counter and steadying himself before reaching for the bag of flour. 

Though before he can get it in his grasp, he loses his balance, slipping off the counter and landing hard on his newly-healed right ankle. 

An immediate flash of pain shoots up through his ankle as his brain registers what just happened. 

Taking a few deep breaths to calm down, he maneuvers himself into a seated position and carefully examines his ankle, noting how swollen it’s already getting.

“Shit,” he curses under his breath.

He knows it’s probably not broken, but it’s definitely worse than the sprain he experienced a few weeks ago. If he had to guess, he most likely tore something.

_ Perfect. _

Not having many options left, he takes out his phone which he fortunately left in his pocket, and also fortunately was not broken after his fall, and presses on his boyfriend's contact. 

_ “Hello, you’ve reached Officer Carlos Reyes, APD. Unfortunately, I’m not available to take your call-” _

TK hangs up and rolls his head back.

Next he tries his dad, only to find a similar voicemail. 

He sighs, knowing that he could wait for either of them to call him back, or for Carlos to come home, but there’s no way of knowing how long that could be. 

So he pulls up the keypad on his phone and dials what he knows to be his only option left.

_ “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”  _

The operator is an unfamiliar male voice. He shouldn’t be shocked that he wasn’t connected with Grace, but the idea of explaining his current predicament to anyone else right now is not very appealing. 

“Hi, my name is Tyler Kennedy Strand, I’m a firefighter with Austin FD. Is there any chance you could connect me with Grace Ryder?”

_ “Sir, do you have an emergency?” _   
  
“Yes. Can I talk to Grace, though?”

_ “That’s not really protocol…” _

Of course he knows this, and he probably should stop harassing whoever this poor operator is. But he has to try, right?

“I understand, but do you think you could just make an exception?”   
  
He bites his lip, holding his breath while waiting for the operator's response.

He can hear the man sigh on the other side. _ “Please hold.” _

_ “This is Grace Ryder, what’s your emergency?” _

“Hey, Grace,” he greets her slowly while trying to figure out how to explain the situation he finds himself in. 

_ “TK?” _

“Yeah. I kinda hurt my ankle.”

_ “You ‘kinda hurt your ankle’? I thought Judd said you sprained it a few weeks ago? Tyler Kennedy Strand please tell me you didn’t sprain it again.” _

“No, I didn’t!” he quickly responds and he can hear her sigh in relief. “I think I tore something.”

_ “Good lord, TK. Okay, well you know the 126 is the closest house-” _

“No,” he cuts her off. “Can’t you send any other house? My dad will find out soon enough and I don’t need him and your husband and anyone that doesn’t need to be here to see me like this.”

_ “TK, I can’t do that. I need to send whoever is closest. But I can just request that Michelle and her team come. Is that okay?” _

Well that’s better than nothing.

“Okay,” he agrees.

_ “Alright. You hang in there, okay?” _

He groans, staring down at his increasingly swollen ankle. “Yeah, I’m trying my best.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written a 5+1 fic before but it was so much fun and I loved seeing how the fic evolved from the first outline to the final product. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated !!
> 
> And as always, find me on [tumblr](https://officerrxyes.tumblr.com/)


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